Cannabis Health Benefits

Cannabis is one of the oldest cultivated plants and has been used as food, oil, textiles and medicine for over 5,000 years. Cannabis was extensively grown as a commercial crop and was widely used medicinally in the US and Europe prior to restrictions introduced in the 1930’s. Controversy surrounds its removal from the American pharmacopeia with the American Medical Association protesting its removal in the 1940s.

The discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) within the human body and other mammals led to an increase in therapeutic study. ECS is an important neuro-modulatory system that assists the body in maintaining homeostasis (equilibrium). Diseases can decrease the body’s natural ability to return to equilibrium. For further explanation and an overview of the endocannabinoid system see the article by Prof. Lumir Hanuš here.